The Legend of Time
by SheikahSlate
Summary: It's been 10,000 years since Link, the Hero of Twilight died. Even after death he must be a hero, as the Goddesses have set him another task; to return to the living world and aid the Hero of the Wild in his quest to destroy Calamity Ganon. The only problem is, he has to do all of this in the form of a wolf.
1. Prologue

So, after a long time, I've finally uploaded my first Fanfiction. A big thanks to FaolanLupa (go check her Fanfictions out) for motivating me to write.

Just some info:

 **1)** This story will take place assuming:

a) BoTW is set after TP, or in that timeline

b) BoTW is set about 10,000 years after TP

 _and_

 **2)** Only the prologue is written in 1st person, present tense. Everything after will be past tense, 3rd person. Don't ask why, I have no idea why I did this. Maybe I'm just experimenting or something.

Now on with the story!

* * *

Prologue

I feel lifeless. Limbs stiff and aching, I can't move. I try to prize my eyes open however I realise that the attempts are futile as my body is frozen in place. I can't completely remember how I came to this place, and any memories of the events leading up to here are hazy and broken into fragments, not unlike shattered glass. The few things I can actually remember is my head pounding, smoke, and the acrid stench of death…

I still feel as though I have a headache and I attempt to move a hand to rub my head, when I remember I can't move. I try to struggle free from the invisible bonds that keep me immobilized. _Dammit_ , I think, and stop trying to get free. I'm not usually the kind of person that gives up, because if I was, Hyrule would have fallen into the chaos and destruction of the Twilight. But I persevered through the dark times and earned my heroic title. _Yet now I give up_ , I think. Deciding not to think about it, I let my mind rest and drift in to what is hopefully sleep.

A pool of shin-deep water surrounds me, coating me in its soothing properties. Gently blowing, the warm breeze causes the deep blue water to ripple around my legs. I notice I am dressed in my ordinary village clothes; something I haven't worn since before saving Hyrule. Since then, I had always worn the green tunic that once belonged to the previous hero. I slowly look around, my brain taking a while to register the sights and I realise that I am in the Ordon Spring. My heart is suddenly filled with hope as I think, _am I back?_ I carefully make my way to the entrance of the spring. I walk through the gates, and that's when I notice it, that burning smell. The smell is being carried by the wind; I can tell, and I can also pinpoint the location it's coming from. I turn my head and I am filled with dread as I see the sight of Ordon Village burning. I try to get there but a wall of fire blocks my path. Suddenly, looking around, I see that fire surrounds me with no escape.

Wait…

Somebody is calling my name! Quickly, I turn around to see Ilia trapped within the flames. I cry out and foolishly run towards her, preparing to run through the fire. I run and run, but she never gets closer. It's almost as if she's getting further away, yet she isn't moving. With no warning, my feet leave solid ground and I'm falling… falling through an endless abyss of darkness. I hear familiar voices of the people I know, Rusl, Ilia, Colin... they are telling me I am worthless, that I couldn't save them…

"Stop!" I yell, "Please! Leave me alone!"

I was no longer falling, but it was still dark. The place seemed familiar. I realised everything I had just witnessed was a twisted nightmare. I come to the conclusion that my dream was based off my lost memories right before I arrived at this place, but I had no way to tell how much the dream had changed everything.

I still couldn't move as I had tried yet again. I am about to finally accept my fate when suddenly I feel a tingling sensation in my left hand… the hand where the Triforce resides. The tingling transforms into more of a warm and comfortable feeling, and it begins to pulse throughout my system. I can feel it throughout me now and it spreads warmth into my stone-cold body.

I realise with joy that I can now force my aching eyelids open, and I use every ounce of strength in my body to sit up. It takes a while, because I feel extremely weak at this current point in time. For a few minutes, my confused brain cannot register the surroundings. When it does, all I can see is white. The floor does not look like a solid surface, yet I am sitting on it. Slowly, I force myself onto my feet, and my legs wobble slightly, as I have not used them in a while.

"So you've awoken."

I sharply twist around to see a young man about my age leaning against a vast set of doors. There were too sets of doors, a silver one, which was where the stranger was, and a light green door.

"What do you want?" I immediately ask, hostile, and I cautiously walk closer. As I get a clearer look at him, I notice a lot of things. He looks a lot like me, same Hylian ears with an earring in and same face shape. He even wears the same green tunic, but it lacks the chainmail like mine. His eyes are the same shape, same colour, however they seem different; mine are more feral.

"Who are you?" I ask in awe. He lowers his head and smiles.

"I am like you, a hero of the past, and, like you, I once wielded the Triforce of Courage."

Then he tells me a long story, one of a forest only inhabited by children and he talks of the evil he defeated. Then he tells another story, about a world filled with masks, and a moon threatening to crash into the surface.

I'm trying to wrap my head around this. I want to know how it's possible we're meeting, and why I am a hero of the past, not the present. After all, I only saved Hyrule a year ago. Instead of any of these questions, I ask,

"Have I seen you before?" He nods. My eyes widen as I remember his voice as one from when I was on my journeys to save the land. "You! You're the warrior who taught me the hidden skills. So you were my ancestor all along…" There is silence for a while, and then he speaks again.

"I suppose you would like to know why you are here." I hesitantly nod, noticing the uneasiness in his voice. I guess what he's going to tell me isn't going to be good news. "It may be hard to take in, but you should know the truth." He gets ready to tell me what I assume is going to be bad news. "You are no longer apart of the living. You haven't been for about 10,000 years."

It's strange, but I'm not actually that surprised. I can tell that he's also surprised, however it is at the fact I am taking it so well. He quickly changes the subject and continues speaking. "I'm here because I want to offer you a choice. The Goddesses were going to make you do this, but… I thought you should be able to choose" I felt anger rising within me. I'm always flung into things because of the Goddesses. I can never choose my own destiny, though I desperately want to be able to. The Hero of Time gives me a look of understanding.

"So what choice do you want me to make?" I ask. The Hero stops leaning on the door and stands up straight.

"This," he announces, pointing to the silver door, "leads to the Sacred Realm. The afterlife. There you can be in paradise for the rest of eternity."

"Or…?" I question.

"Or," he begins, and points at the green door, "You can choose this door. It leads back to the living world. This is the task the Goddesses have set for you. They want you to aid the new hero who has no memory of who he is. Of course, you won't be able to stay in the living world forever, as you've passed on."

I look down. I want to rest in the afterlife, I want peace, and most of all… I don't want to do the Goddesses bidding. Though I have a deep respect for them, I don't want my fate tampered with any longer. But… my heart longs for adventure.

I guess that's just the kind of person I am.

I step towards the green door and speak.

"Don't think for one second that I am letting the Goddesses control my fate. I'm doing this only because I want to."

The Hero of Time laughs.

"I figured you'd choose that path. You and me are much alike." I take steps towards the doorway to my departure. "One more thing…" he says. "The people of Hyrule are aware that heroes existed in the past, but they don't know what we did. So please… pass down our legends." I listen to his words and agree.

"After all we've done… us and our heroics should be remembered."

I reach out my hand and open the door, and inside is a swirling vortex of colours. I glance back one last time before stepping through.

* * *

The warrior watched the Hero of Twilight step through the portal.

"I think," he said to nobody in particular, "I finally deserve to move into the afterlife."

He opened the silver door, and stopped to look back at the doorway where his descendant had gone through.

"Good luck, Hero of Twilight."

He stepped through with the first smile he'd had in a long time.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 1

The first chapter is here! A big thanks to all who faved, followed and reviewed. Constructive criticism would be great, after all, I'm writing to improve.

* * *

Chapter 1

 _"_ _Open your eyes…"_

The voice sounded muffled to the person it was talking to.

 _"_ _Open your eyes…"_

The voice was now a lot clearer, but the person hearing it was drowsy and couldn't register the words in his head.

 _"_ _Wake up, Link…"_

Link, which was presumably the person's name, slowly forced his eyelids open and eventually sat up. He noticed he was in an unusual place – it was dark and there were strange designs around the edges of the room and the walls. The weirdest thing of all, however, was the thing that he was sitting on at the current moment. It was filled slightly with water and above him was a hanging structure, with the same patterns as the ones around the room. Link shifted his body position so that he was now seated on the edge, and climbed out of where he previously was. Looking around the room, he noticed something glowing in front of what appeared to be a sealed door, and walked towards it. When he got there, he saw that it was a pedestal which held a strange object with an unfamiliar symbol on it, a droplet coming from an eye. He was curiously looking over the object when he suddenly realised something extremely important.

 _He couldn't remember anything._

His mind, now starting to panic, was interrupted by that same voice from before – a woman's voice, Link realised.

 _"_ _That is a Sheikah Slate. Take it. It will help guide you after your long slumber."_

Link had no idea who the persom talking was, though her voice was almost... familiar. The way she spoke made him think that they once knew each other, however he was still cautious about taking the 'Sheikah Slate' she had just told him about. After a few minutes of thinking, he decided to trust this person. There was nothing else he could really do. He carefully took the object from its resting place, and he flinched slightly when the screen activated. He realised, like the voice he had been hearing, it also had something slightly familiar about it. Link had no time to think about it, however, as the door he'd seen earlier now opened. When he walked through it, he could see he was now in a room similar to the last one. He headed over to two chests he'd noticed, and opened the first one. It contained an old shirt, which wasn't in great condition. Upon opening the other chest, he discovered some trousers which appeared to be well-worn. Link grimaced at the uncleanliness of the clothes, although eventually decided they were better than nothing. After putting them on, he made his way to another door, like the last one, but much bigger. He saw another pedestal, which again, had that unusual symbol etched into it. When he approached it, the voice spoke up again.

 _"_ _Hold the Sheikah Slate up to the pedestal. That will show you the way."_

Following the orders of the woman, Link took the Sheikah Slate off his waist (he had attached it to his belt earlier) and hovered it over the symbol. The pedestal glowed when he brought the Sheikah Slate to it, and the door, like the previous one, opened. Walking in front of the opening door, Link shielded his eyes as a bright light shone through into the cave.

 _"_ _Link… you are the light – our light – that must shine upon Hyrule once again."_ There was a short pause.

 _"_ _Now go."_

Link headed towards the light and came across a wall. The surface was easy to climb and once he'd reached the top, he ran out into the vast world of Hyrule.

* * *

After stepping through the portal, Link was falling. It wasn't the kind of falling like in his dream earlier, that was dark and unwelcoming. After what seemed like a while, Link felt his feet on solid ground once again. Bringing up his head, he could see that he was by some strange structure that was completely grey. Looking around, he was isolated on a small patch of land in the centre of a pool of shallow water. Link was interested in the unusual thing next to him, and ran his hand along the side of it. It was smooth, and he could tell that something like this could not be climbed. There was a pedestal at what looked like an entrance, however nothing happened when he touched it. Deciding that he could do nothing, he stepped into the water and made his way to the land on the other side, being glad that the water only made its way up to his boots.

He arrived at what he assumed to be a stable, since there were lots of horses in stalls. The place seemed to be closed at the moment, which made sense, since the moon was currently at its peak in the sky. Deciding not to disturb anybody inside, Link walked a bit further around the building and saw a burning campfire, which was easy to spot because it was so dark. Approaching it, the flames reminded him of the twisted dream he'd had earlier, but since it seemed to be the only source of light and warmth nearby, he settled down beside it. The Hero of Twilight was extremely tired, however before he lay down to rest, he checked through his things. He had all the items from his quest, including his Ordon Sword and Hylian Shield. Link wondered if he still had _that._ A huge yawn silenced his thoughts, and he decided that now he would sleep.

Drowsily, Link woke up from his slumber. His dreams that night had been strangely uneventful, in fact, he couldn't even remember if he had a dream. Getting to his feet, he stretched his tired limbs and saw the sun beginning to rise over the horizon. Still, nobody was around, and, after his stomach rumbled, he discovered he was fairly hungry. Deciding to look for something to eat, he headed away from the stables he had stayed outside of for the night.

Whilst crossing over a decaying wooden bridge which headed in the direction of an oddly-shaped mountain with a split down the middle, Link attention shifted to a small wooded area to the left. He guessed that there may be wildlife over there, and hastily got out his bow. He entered the cluster of trees, treading with light feet, and looking around. Seeing a fox, he hid behind a large tree. If it saw him, or he missed the shot, it's cry would alert all the other wildlife in the area, meaning he had one chance to do this right. Carefully shifting his position so he could get a clear shot at the fox, he nocked an arrow. He positioned the bow and let the arrow fly.

 _Crap,_ he thought, as the arrow landed a few inches away from the animal. It let out a yelp and began to flee. Link, very hungry and not wanting to go elsewhere to look for food, did the first thing that came into his mind and reached into his item pouch. Without thinking, he grabbed the curse stone, which transformed him into a wolf. He gave chase to the fleeing animal. It was quick, but in this form, Link was quicker. He caught up to the fox and pounced, killing it with one swift bite to the neck. He took a step back, proud of the kill.

 _Nice,_ he thought, _now I just need to turn back into a Hylian and-_

That was when the realization of horror struck him – he didn't currently possess the Master Sword which meant he couldn't turn back.

* * *

The hero who was being guided by the voice stood at the edge of a large cliff. He looked in wonder at the landscape all around him, from the green fields, to the vast forests, and from the massive stretches of water to the castle in the distance. Being in the outside world made him feel refreshed, and all traces of fatigue left him. Instead, the weariness was replaced by a sense of excitement and exploration upon the spectacle of the open world. Turning to look to the right, he saw a ruined building nearby, and even closer, the movement of what Link assumed to be a person. He made the decision to head that way first. On the way down the slope, Link picked up a few things: some tree branches and Hylian Shrooms (which he had found the name of by identifying them through the Sheikah Slate's camera mode*). He'd stored them all in his pouch, which he figured was magic, as it seemed to be able to hold an endless number of things of all sizes. The tree branches were not ideal for combat, but he knew that it would be better than nothing if he ended up needing to defend himself.

Link discovered that he was right about the figure being a person. When he reached a slight indent in the rock wall, a hooded old man sat beside a fire. As he came closer, the old man struck up a conversation.

"It is a bit strange to see another soul around in these parts." The old man commented. Link was curious about him, so he decided to speak up.

"Who are you?" his voice was hoarse as he had not yet spoken after awakening from his sleep.

"Me? I'll spare you my life story." The old man replied. "I'm just an old fool who has lived here, alone, for quite some time now. What brings a bright-eyed young man like you to a place like this?"

"Where are we?" Link simply asked.

"Answering a question with a question. That is fair enough. As I cannot imagine our meeting to be a simple coincidence… I shall tell you."

Link wondered what the old man meant by that. He got the feeling there was more to him than he insisted there was.

"This is the Great Plateau. According to legend, this is the birthplace of the entire kingdom of Hyrule." Link listened intently as the old man got up and continued to speak, "That temple there… long ago, it was site of many ancient ceremonies. Ever since the decline of the kingdom 100 years ago, it has sat abandoned, in a state of decay. Yet another forgotten entity. A mere ghost of its former self…" The old man sat down once he'd finished telling his story. Link stared at the temple he'd been talking about. It was mysterious, and like a lot of other things he'd seen, there was something familiar about it. The old man watched him walk away, and he hid around the corner, out of sight. After a few minutes, Link saw him move away from where he was before, and, making sure to not be spotted, he ran back over to the small shelter, stole a torch and baked apple, then ran off, feeling slightly guilty.

Next, he headed towards the temple. He wanted to go over to it, but before he got there, he reached a small pool of water with what seemed to be a tiny island in the middle. Seeing some sort of sword wedged in the rock, Link dived into the water without hesitation. Once he'd got to the shore of the little island, he climbed up and walked over to the sword. It looked to be quite decayed, however he supposed it would be a lot more useful than the tree branches he'd picked up earlier. After examining it through the Sheikah Slate's camera, he found out that it was called a Rusty Broadsword. He placed his hands on the hilt and got into a stance for pulling it out. After using a bit of effort, Link freed the sword from the rock and immediately sheathed it onto his back. Before he could do anything else, the woman's voice from when he was in the cave spoke to him.

"Link… Head for the point marked on the map in your Sheikah Slate."

Upon activating the Sheikah Slate, a yellow circle appeared on a map. The device seemed to be able to detect where he was and which ay he was facing. Link took one last look at the temple before heading in the other direction.

* * *

Link, in the form of a wolf, moved out of the wooded area.

 _Dammit,_ he thought. _I messed up._

Though he loved the thrill of being a wolf, it wouldn't be very convenient on his current quest. He wouldn't be able to speak to the new hero, or do some of the things only humans could. As for where he was going, he couldn't head back to the safety of the stable, as people would act hostile to him, and probably even resort to attack. After contemplating, he instead travelled towards the unusual mountain he'd seen earlier. As he got closer, he saw that a path ran through the centre of it, and a stream ran through the middle.

 _Hyrule has changed a lot…_ he thought, looking at it in awe. When Link was alive, the only mountain in Hyrule had been Death Mountain, but now he could see many, just as vast as the one he was standing at, everywhere he looked.

Whilst traversing through the mountain-path, Link spotted a traveller heading his way, and he froze. He could tell that the person had not yet noticed him, so carefully, without trying to attract the traveller's attention, he pressed up against the wall in the shadows. Luckily, his fur was nearly the same shade of grey as the rocky wall, and the shadows he was currently hiding in concealed his lighter features. The person passed, and Link let out a breath that he hadn't realised he'd been holding in. Most travellers carried swords, and however strong he was, a wolf against a sword most likely wouldn't win.

Link sighed. He'd already been in a bad position, as he had no clue where the new hero was currently, and now the situation was even worse. Presenting himself in his current form to the hero could, well… get him killed, even if he didn't show signs of hostility. He knew this because when he was stuck in the form of a wolf at Ordon Village, the people tried to attack him whenever he was seen. Shaking his head, he continued on.

After about half an hour of walking, Link saw with delight a shelter which had a still burning fire. Around ten minutes ago, rain had begun to make an appearance, drenching him, and forcing his fur to stick to his body uncomfortably. The best thing about the shelter was there weren't any people around except a man who was patrolling a nearby bridge. Making haste, Link ran to the shelter, and once under, shook all the droplets of rain out of his fur (and thankfully none of them extinguished the fire). He rested his shivering body beside the fire and decided to rest for a bit. Maybe if he waited a bit, he'd get a sign, or something, telling him what to do? For the first time in his life, he felt completely lost.

* * *

*Link is technically not supposed to have the Sheikah Slate camera mode yet. I think it would be easier if I can call stuff by their names, and this is the way Link can find out what things are called. So the story still works (as him seeing the photos for the memories could make the plot weird), the part he will get in Hateno Tech Lab will be the gallery.

Thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 2

From now on, I'll probably update about once a week (this week will probably get another update as an apology for those who were enjoying reading this fic). I've got a fair amount of favorites, follows and reviews (all of which were positive) so thank you so much.

* * *

Chapter 2

It was about an hour until the downpour stopped. Link lifted his head and stretched his tired limbs, glad that the rain had stopped. His fur was now dry after lying by the warm fire. It felt good for him to be on his feet again, even though the amount of time that had passed may not be considered long. This was because his wolfish instincts were starting to kick in, and his sense of exploration was stronger than before. Letting all his worries leave him for the time being, Link began to wonder around, sometimes stopping to sniff the ground if there was a smell that was interesting. Closing his eyes and feeling the breeze ruffle his fur, Link wished that he could forget all about his quest. It'd been a while since he'd been running free as a wolf, but the feeling of importance for his current mission was always there and would never leave him. A sudden noise alerted him, bringing Link out of his thoughts, and he immediately recognised it as the sound of monsters.

Quietly stalking towards the noise, he peered through the grass he was crouched down to eye-level with. What he saw was a poorly made wooden fort, inhabited by pig-like creatures which he knew to be bokoblins. The only difference from what he knew them as was the skin colour; the bokoblins he could now see were red. Link decided that if he didn't deal with them now, they may become a problem to humans later on. Stealthily, he silently moved towards a bokoblin that was on the ground, guarding the base of the fort. Luckily for Link, it was facing the other way, and when he approached the creature, he pounced. In one swift bite the bokoblin was dead, and its corpse disappeared soon after. Link found himself carefully going up the stairs, which felt like they would give at any moment. As he reached the next floor, he looked over to see another bokoblin. Without warning, it turned around, and Link ducked out of its line of sight, holding his breath and hoping it hadn't noticed him. The bokoblin was slightly suspicious, and came slightly closer, then shrugged it off and looked in the other direction again. Link sighed in relief, and then proceeded to slowly creep up on it. As he approached the unknowing creature, something swung and grazed his side painfully. Link quickly turned around to see another bokoblin, this one being blue, taking another swing at him. Without having time to react, it swung its spiked club at him, and it hit him with full force, which made him be painfully flung backwards a couple of metres, not too far from the edge. Slightly disorientated, Link scrambled to his feet and saw the blue bokoblin charging at him once again. This time he was prepared, and as it took a swing, Link ducked under the weapon and slashed with his claws at the enemy. Stumbling back a bit, the bokoblin was quite surprised, but got ready to strike once again. This time, as it charged over to Link, it readied its club over its head. It swung it downwards, and Link only barely managed to jump to the side, out of the way, as he'd only at the last second picked up on the bokoblin's change of attack. Without wasting any time, Link darted forward and slashed once again, this time his claws inflicting a much more deep and fatal wound. The corpse of the blue bokoblin began to disappear, but he'd not forgotten about the other enemy. Link turned around, saw it coming and ducked as it swung, afterwards lunging towards the bokoblin and taking its life in one bite. Making a mental note that the red bokoblins were a lot weaker than the blue ones, Link suddenly realised that he'd disposed of all of them. The blue one must have been guarding the top, but noticed Link sneaking up on the red one.

Walking up the last set of stairs to check nothing was left, he noticed a chest and some barrels. As a wolf, he knew he wouldn't be able to open the chest, but he checked inside the barrels and discovered some fish; he was slightly suspicious as it came from a fort of monsters, but he'd gladly accept anything to fill up his now hungry stomach. As he swallowed the last bite, Link wondered what he'd do next.

 _Goddesses_ , he silently prayed, _what am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go?_

He saw the sun sink into the distance, and chose that, for now, he'd return to the shelter and wait for a sign of what to do.

* * *

Link was in the middle of heading to the glowing yellow point on his Sheikah Slate, when he'd run into some strange creatures who resided at what seemed to be a camp or base. There were two poorly built wooden towers; one of which had one of the creatures standing on the top wielding a bow. Through identifying them through the Sheikah Slate's camera, he now knew that they were 'red bokoblins'. Judging by their hostility to any animal that passed by, and how they were armed with weapons, Link made the assumption that these bokoblins were his enemy.

Walking out into their territory with his weapon drawn, the bokoblin on the tower immediately noticed him and started blowing through a very strange horn. This alerted all of the other monsters to his position, and they charged towards him. Link was unsure of what to do; he hadn't actually been in any real combat before. But when Link started swinging his rusty broadsword at a bokoblin, the combat came naturally. The fight went past in a blur. The bokoblins surrounding him managed to give him some cuts, but the enemies felt easy, and he quickly took them all out, finishing them all off with one attack he now called the 'spin attack'. It felt as though he'd been a swordsman all of his life, even though this was the first time he'd taken the sword out of its sheath. An arrow suddenly flying past and grazing his cheek interrupted his current thoughts. Link's mind was now back to combat as he saw the red bokoblin atop the wooden tower readying another arrow at him. Swiftly grabbing a wooden shield that one of the monsters had dropped, Link blocked the next arrow. He sheathed his current sword and picked up one of the other weapons dropped; a wooden bat. After blocking yet another arrow, Link carefully aimed the bat and threw it, and the weapon his the bokoblin right between the eyes, knocking it from its high place and killing it. After picking up the drops from all of the enemies, which included some more bats, a wooden bow and a few arrows, Link noticed the sun begin to sink towards the horizon. He stood staring at it, lost in thought about how his first day in this land was already coming to an end. The now cold breeze brought him back to reality. Suppressing a yawn, he looked for somewhere to sleep. The best place he could currently find was under the bokoblin archer's small tower, which, although not the best place to rest, would provide at least some shelter if it rained. It had rained earlier that day, and, after getting drenched, he decided that he preferred not to be in the rain. After settling down, Link closed his eyes and fell asleep quickly.

The sun was just beginning to rise as Link's eyes opened. Yawning, he sat up and remembered he needed to head for the point which was marked on his map. He got onto his feet, checked he had all of his things, then set off.

He'd been walking for about five minutes and had luckily not yet encountered any bokoblins. But then he noticed a small creature flying above, and upon taking out the Sheikah Slate, he found out that it was a 'keese'. The keese had not yet noticed him, but as Link took a step closer out of curiosity, it turned around and headed straight for him. The way it was charging straight for him and the fact it's one eye was now glowing red seemed to indicate that the keese, like the bokoblins, was hostile. Just in time, Link brought out his sword and struck it down, only leaving an eyeball and a wing lying on the floor. Though disgusting, Link picked it up and put it away, hoping it may be of some use later, like the bokoblin parts.

Once again Link started to head in the direction he needed to go. After ten minutes, he checked the Sheikah Slate and realised that he was there. At first glance, he could see nothing. But as he inspected the area further, he noticed the small hill in front of him was made out of large rocks badly placed onto each other. He climbed up the hill and dropped down into an unusual gap. He found a pedestal, like in the place he woke up in. Knowing what to do, Link held up the Sheikah Slate to it, and a message appeared. It read:

 **Sheikah Tower activated. Watch out for falling rocks.**

"Falling rocks…? WAIT, WH-" Link was interrupted when the ground he stood on started to shake violently and he fell to the floor as it started to move He realised the ground was moving upwards, and he steadily got to his feet, almost losing his balance because of the rising ground. As he got higher, Link saw other structures like the one he was on emerging from the ground. Soon enough, the movement stopped. He was more surprised than scared; in fact, seeing the view from this height was amazing.

A sound alerted him, and he abruptly turned around. The pedestal he had placed the Sheikah Slate in still remained in the centre of the tower, and he walked over to see what it was alerting him about. A message had appeared. It read:

 **Distilling local information.**

Link, being curious, wondered what that meant. Suddenly, a smooth rock that hung over the pedestal glowed a dark blue, and Hyrulean text moved down it, moving closer to the bottom. Every symbol that reached the bottom turned into a droplet, and eventually the symbol of an eye with a droplet was formed. The droplet detached itself from the rock and splashed onto the screen of the Sheikah Slate below, dissolving as it touched the solid surface. Then something appeared on the screen; the outline of the map of the place he was currently in. The area was filled in by a swirly pattern before a map was replaced with the patterned space.

 _This will be useful,_ Link thought. Another message appeared that read:

 **Regional map extracted.**

After the message disappeared, the centre of the pedestal turned a ninety-degree angle before raising slightly, and the Sheikah Slate was flipped up so it could easily be taken from the pedestal. Link took the Sheikah Slate, attached it to the belt at his hip and then realised that somebody was talking to him. It was the same woman from before.

 _"Remember…"_

 _Huh? What is she talking about?_ Link wondered.

" _Try… Try to remember"_ The voice called, repeating the same words from before. It was at this moment when Link, turning his head to try and find the speaker, realised that a bright light had began to resonate from the castle in the distance. Seeing it glow brighter and brighter, Link ran closer to the edge of the tower. The voice spoke again.

 _"You have been asleep for the past one hundred years…"_

As he neared the edge, Link heard the words that she spoke, and his eyes widened in surprise. What? How was it possible to sleep for one hundred years? The ground starting to shake interrupted his perplexed thoughts. It shook so ferociously that he was almost flung off the tower by the sheer force, however he luckily managed to remain balanced.

 _"The beast…"_ The woman's voice spoke urgently, _"The beast… when it regains its true power, this world will be at its end…"_

The words she spoke were seemingly important, but they barely registered in Link's head as he watched in awe at the rising darkness at the castle. At first glance it seemed to be a sort of aura, but as it rose, it took the form of a beast, which began to circle around the castle. Even the wind seemed to be wild, blowing so much that it could be heard. The shadowy creature roared loudly, when Link noticed something about the way it moved. The beast seemed to stay away from the light that resided in the centre, and when for a moment the light seemed to grow larger and brighter, the beast recoiled letting out a pained screech. It sunk back down to the bottom, joining the swirling mass of darkness.

 _"Now then…"_ the voice said, and as she spoke, the light died down, not completely, but noticeably. _"You must hurry, Link… Before it's too late…"_

The sadness in her voice seemed to carry along with the now calm wind, and as the breeze gently blew, it was almost as though a sorrowful melody played along with it.

 _If I'm supposed to help this land,_ Link thought determinedly, _I'll do whatever I can._

All Link could do at the moment was stand there and wonder what to do next. He assumed that he would need to somehow get off the plateau he was currently stranded on, and jumping from this height would guarantee death. Looking from the top of the tower he could see no simple way to get off the Great Plateau. Did this mean that he was stuck here? Deciding to first get off the tower before figuring out what to do, Link discovered a hole in the floor of the tower which was located behind the pedestal. Carefully lowering his feet on to the ladder leading to a small platform below, he began to climb down slowly. He was not too scared, however he proceeded with caution, as a wrong step could mean him plummeting to his death in an instant. When Link got to the small platform, he looked around to see many more of these platforms going down to the ground in a spiral around the tower. Easy enough. It took a while, but he eventually reached the final platform and proceeded to jump to the ground, underestimating the height a bit and twisting his ankle, slightly causing pain. Then something unexpected happened. The old man from earlier sailed down from the sky using a paraglider. Link stared at it, knowing that it was exactly what he wanted, no, needed.

"My, my… it seems that we have quite the enigma here." The old man spoke. "This tower and others just like it have erupted across the land, one after another." He nodded towards the tower. "It is though… a long-dormant power had awoken quite suddenly. If you do not mind me asking… odd occur while you were atop the tower?" He asked, now looking at Link again. Link stayed silent for a moment, wondering if he should tell the old man what happened, but maybe he had answers.

"I… heard a voice…" Link answered uncertainly, unsure if the man would think he was crazy.

"Well now! A voice, you say? And did you so happen to recognise this mysterious voice?" The old man queried.

"No." Link replied bluntly. He failed to mention that it was somehow familiar, in a way he didn't understand.

"I see… Well, that is unfortunate." The old man then turned around to face the castle and pointed at it. "I assume you caught sight of that atrocity enshrouding the castle."  
Link also turned around as the old man spoke, and knew that he was referring to the beast from earlier. He continued. "That… is Calamity Ganon. One hundred years ago, that vile entity brought the kingdom of Hyrule to ruin."

So that was why the whole place seemed to desolate and abandoned. _Strange,_ Link thought, _how could it lay waste to the entirety of Hyrule when it seems to be confined within the boundaries of the castle?_ The old man continued with his story of Calamity Ganon. "It appeared suddenly and destroyed everything in its path. So many innocent lives were lost in its wake. For a century, the very symbol of our kingdom, Hyrule Castle, has managed to contain that evil. But just barely."

So the castle _was_ confining the beast. For now, at least. "There it festers, building its strength for the moment it will unleash its blight upon the land once again."

"Will that be… soon?" Link asked, worried. The old man nodded.

"Yes… It would appear that moment is fast approaching…" There was a moment of silence between the two. "I must ask you, courageous one. Do you intend to make your way to the castle?"

After hearing the tragic tale of the kingdom, Link knew he should at least try to help.

"I do." Confidence could be heard in his words.

"I had a feeling you would say that." Before giving Link a chance to say anything, the old man continued to speak. "Here on this steep plateau, we are surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs, with no way down. If you were to try to jump off, well… No death could be more certain. Or more foolish."

So Link was right. There was no way down from the plateau. But the old man's next words brought back hope to him. "Of course, if you had a paraglider like mine, that would be quite another story."

"Hand it over!" Link commanded, urgently wanting to get to the castle.

"Oho! Certainly, why not? But there is no such thing as a free item in this world, you know. Let's see now… How about I trade it for a bit of treasure that slumbers nearby? Come. Let me show you something."

He began to walk up a small mound of earth, and Link followed closely behind. When they arrived at the top of the mound the old man pointed to something. It was a structure that glowed red in patterns which were very similar to the ones of the place he woke up in. And once again, that eye symbol was there.

"Do you see that structure there? The shining with a strange light?" Link nodded. "It began glowing at the exact moment those towers rose from the ground. I would think such a place would house some sort of treasure, wouldn't you? Treasure for the paraglider. A fair exchange, I believe." Link looked towards the glowing structure. It seemed all a bit too much, but if it meant getting the paraglider, he'd do it.


	4. Chapter 3

Sorry for not updating sooner. I said I'd update this fic in the same week as the last update, but I got busy. After that, I had a lack of motivation to write, so it didn't happen, sorry.

* * *

Chapter 3

The sun rising was a beautiful sight in the new and unfamiliar Hyrule. If you stood a good distance away and roughly in the centre of the two mountains called Duelling Peaks, the view of the rising sun was extraordinary. The sunlight would filter through the mountains but could still be seen over the horizon. That day only one person watched it, or, wolf, rather. The day had been uneventful for Link; mostly all he did was stay under the shelter with the crackling fire. The only time he moved was to get some more wood to keep the fire burning.

 _Goddesses,_ Link thought, _you gave me this task. I have no knowledge of where I am supposed to go now. Please… give me some sort of sign._

Nothing happened.

Link sighed. Nothing yet again. There was no point trying to pray at this point. If the Goddesses weren't going to give him any sort of sign soon, he'd go looking for the new hero himself. Suddenly, the ground began to rumble, and Link lost his footing. To most people, and earthquake of this size would scare them, but all Link felt was excitement that his true journey may be starting soon. He looked around quickly to see what was causing the shaking, and noticed that the ground in front of and to the left of Duelling Peaks was breaking apart. Suddenly the ground was destroyed as something emerged from the ground and large rocks were flung outwards. Realising that a heavy rock was going to land right on his shelter, he dashed out of the way, fear rushing through his veins and excitement at finally being in some action again. Once the rocks had all landed on the ground, the thing that had burst out of the ground was clearly visible. It was unusual structure, which Link figured was a tower of sorts. He wasn't completely sure though, so he decided that a closer look would be ideal. As he walked towards the strange thing he felt exhilaration like nothing else he'd felt before. He'd accepted this quest for the adventure alone, but now he was finally getting into the action, he couldn't hold back his eagerness.

Once he arrived at it, his suspicions were confirmed right – it was definitely a tower meant to be climbed. Link could tell by the way the walls were made – they had good sized gaps for climbing and were made out of a type of metal that was easy to grip. Platforms were placed at even intervals, spiralling up around the tower, making them good places to rest when scaling up the tower and easy platforms to drop onto when going down. Link quickly sniffed the tower and he could tell it was man-made, though it was obvious from the looks and design of the tower. Yellow-orange patterns swirled through a smooth, cylindrical shape in the middle, visible through the gaps in the climbing part of the tower at the top. Unusual designs were engraved onto the top part of the tower and the platforms that lead up around it. Link, being the curious person he was, wanted to go up and find out more, but he knew he could never scale such a structure when he was in the form of a wolf. He would have been able to if the platforms were closer together, but they were too far for a wolf, or anything, to jump from one to another. Slightly disappointed that at the current moment he was not able to do anything, Link decided to wait around at the base of the tower. After a few minutes of wondering what to do, Link realised that a traveller was about to pass, and he lunged behind one of the fallen rocks which would hide him. Peeking out from behind the rock, he saw the traveller wasn't passing; they were heading towards the tower. As they got closer, Link got a clear look at the traveller's face, and what he saw shocked him.

* * *

Three shrines down and one to go.

"Geez, how does four valuable treasures equal the worth of a paraglider?" Link muttered to himself in annoyance. After completing the shrine that the old man had pointed to earlier, he'd been told to find three other shrines and their treasures. Did he even know hard it was to get through those things? He knew he had to do it to get the paraglider, however, so he searched for the other shrines.

When Link had stepped into the first shrine, it was not what he was expecting at all. He thought it'd be simple – there'd be some treasure lying there or something. He definitely didn't expect to walk into a place filled with traps and battles against dangerous futuristic enemies. What surprised him the most, however, was gaining the different runes on his Sheikah Slate in each shrine. They were so far proving to be useful both inside and outside the shrines.

At that point in time, Link was deciding where he was going to go and look for the last shrine. Looking at his map on the Sheikah Slate, he decided that it was probably sensible to look for it in the cold part of the Great Plateau. As he entered the snowy biome, he immediately noticed how cold it was, so cold that it was potentially dangerous to even venture any further. Suddenly, he had a great idea. He walked for a few minutes until he was back in the area with a regular temperature. He took out a small camp of red bokoblins that he'd noticed earlier but avoided, then took out the torch he'd stolen. Using the fire of the campfire to light the torch, Link once again headed back to the cold temperatures of Mount Hylia. The torch, although not completely blocking out the warmth, provided enough heat for Link to continue on his way.

So far, the mountains of snow were proving to be tricky to navigate. The shrine wasn't in sight and when Link saw a big mountain which he could just walk up, he knew that he needed to go up it to spot the shrine. There was a camp of monsters who seemed to be blocking the way up, but Link couldn't fight when he was holding the torch. He ran as fast as he could after them. They chased him, but proved not to be very fast. After a while, they stopped giving chase and he made it to the top of the mountain. He was surprised to find the old man standing there. He noticed Link and spoke to him.

"Ahh… I enjoy gazing out at the world from here…" The old man told him.

"B-b-breathtaking view…" Link said, his voice clearly affected by the cold.

"You did well to make it this far without the proper clothing." The old man commented, noticing the cold affecting Link's voice. "Please take this warm doublet as a reward for your tenacity. Do take care to put it on before you get to cold, though" He said, handing Link some much warmer clothing. The old man departed from the cliff, paragliding back down to wherever he came from. Without wasting a second, Link planted the burning torch near him in the snow and changed into the new clothing. It did well to insulate the cold, and knowing that the torch was no longer needed, he blew it out and pocketed it for later use. With all the tree branches and bokoblin bats stored in his pouch, Link figured that he wouldn't be able to store any more melee weapons if he were to leave room for other types of weapons, items and clothing.

From the view on the mountain, the glowing orange swirls of the last shrine were clearly visible in the distance. Plotting the place on his map with a stamp, Link hurried down the mountain and followed it to the point on his map. Going up to the pedestal beside the shrine, he activated it and the once orange markings now glowed blue with the unusual symbol from earlier glowing yellow. He stepped onto a platform that lowered himself down into the last shrine.

It was immediately noticeable that the layout if this shrine was a lot different to the previous one. Bars could be seen covering a view of the higher floor. He stepped off the platform and a voice spoke out to him.

 ** _"_** ** _To you who sets foot in this shrine… I am Keh Namut. In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial."_**

After the person had finished speaking, Link headed over to a pedestal and placed the Sheikah Slate in it. Like the other shrines, the rock above the pedestal began to glow blue and Hyrulean text appeared all over it. A blue liquid formed a droplet at the bottom of the stone, completing the symbol that Link had been seeing a lot. The droplet landed on the Sheikah Slate and the screen activated, showing that a new rune called cryonis had been installed. From the description it seemed to be able to create climbable ice blocks if it was used in water, which, to Link, didn't seem like it was be extremely helpful outside of shrines except for maybe crossing rivers or lakes.

Looking around, it seemed as though the only pathway to progress onwards was a high up wall with a passage in it. It would be unreachable by normal means.

 _This one's simple enough._ Link thought with a smirk, seeing the water underneath the wall. He made an ice block with cryonis and climbed up it easily. He headed down some stairs with twisted around a corner and came across a gate with water underneath it. Link knew that the answer to the puzzle would be to make an ice block underneath the gate, since the way they were formed was by rising up from the water, however he was concerned whether the ice block would be strong enough to lift it up, or hold the gate as he passed under it. Link gave it ago, and surprisingly enough, it worked. He immediately was forced to take out his shield, however, as a spider-like enemy rushed around a corner towards him after being alerted by the noise. Link knew what this enemy was: a guardian. He'd been able to find out the name earlier by managing to identify one that hadn't yet noticed him through the Sheikah Slate.

The guardian in front of him had charged up its laser and fired at Link, hitting his shield which damaged it heavily. It was now charging up another laser, and Link used this chance to dash towards it and attack with his broadsword. He managed to get a few hits in before moving back to take the guardian's next attack with his shield yet again. At the impact of the laser hitting it for the second time, it broke. Charging forward, Link got multiple hits in on the guardian and then it was down. Making sure to pick up the parts that the guardian left behind, Link continued onwards through the shrine, also equipping another shield (which happened to be the last one he had).

Before he got to the next puzzle, Link noticed a chest in an alcove in the wall, so he quickly used cryonis to make an ice block to reach it. Inside the chest was a traveller's spear. This was interesting, as Link had not yet come across a spear before. He decided that, in some situations, a weapon that could reach further may be useful, so he got rid of a bokoblin bat out of his pouch and put the spear in.

The next puzzle was just as easy as the others. The challenges in all of the shrines so far had been pretty straightforward – most likely since each shrine centred around the rune that was just obtained, so it was obvious you had to use that rune for every puzzle. For this one, there was a flat platform that was balanced at the centre on a pole that stuck out of the wall. Link used an ice block to make one of the sides go down and the other go up which meant he could climb to the higher level. Now the end of the shrine was visible and after climbing up a flight of stairs, he was there. He'd seen the monks at the end of the shrines three times already, but their ancient, withered bodies still creeped him out. Their skeletons were practically visible through their skin. He walked up to the thin blue wall that separated him and the monk, and touched a finger to it. The point where he'd touched it rippled outwards then a symbol appeared briefly on the wall. After that, it burst into many separate rectangular fragments which floated outwards.

 ** _"_** ** _Your resourcefulness in overcoming this trial speaks to the promise of a hero…"_**

The monk spoke in an old and raspy voice – it was the same voice that had introduced him to the trial at first.

 ** _"_** ** _In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I bestow upon you this spirit orb."_**

An orb emerged from the body and floated its way over to Link, who now had it in his possession. It was the last spirit orb he needed.

The monk said the words, **_"May the Goddess smile upon you."_** before crumbling away in what seemed to be a non-existent wind. A pillar of light surrounded Link and he was teleported out of the completed shrine.

As soon as Link was back at the entrance of the shrine, the old man paraglided over to him from the shrine.

"With this, you have now acquired all of the spirit orbs from the shrines on this plateau." The old man told him. "That means… it's finally time…"

"Time for what?" Link asked, confused at the old man's sudden change in tone.

"Link… it is time for me to tell you everything. But first… Imagine an X on your map, with the four shrines as your end points. Find the spot where those intersect. I shall wait for you there."

"Wait-" Link tried to say, but the old man interrupted him.

"Do you understand? Where two lines connecting the shrines would cross… There… I will… be… waiting…"

Link was taken completely by surprise, because as the old man said the last few words, he began to slowly disappear in a blue glow. Eventually, he completely disappeared, leaving behind only some small blue wisps which flickered like flames, which eventually disappeared too. He had suspected that there was more to the old man than what met the eye, but what happened really intrigued him. Getting out his Sheikah Slate, Link created imaginary lines which connected the shrines together on his map. After a few seconds, he realised that the place he had to go to was the Temple of Time – the collapsing and decaying building he'd wanted to explore before.

After teleporting to the nearest shrine to the temple and walking from there, he eventually arrived at the ancient building. It was night and a blue glow inside the building was visible through the holes where windows would have once been. Walking through the entrance, Link saw a large statue of what he assumed to be a goddess, perhaps Hylia? He lowered himself to one knee and prayed to the statue, and a voice, presumably from the statue.

 ** _"_** ** _You who have conquered the shrines and claimed their spirit orbs. I can offer you great power."_**

Great power? That would surely be useful on his quest.

 ** _"_** ** _It appears you have claimed four spirit orbs. In exchange for those four spirit orbs, I can either offer you a heart container to increase your durability for when you get harmed, or a stamina vessel to increase your durability for when you are running, climbing or swimming."_**

Link decided on a stamina vessel so that he could travel for longer periods of time in one go. As soon as he told the statue, a green tear shaped jewel trimmed with gold descend from above him, and as soon as Link touched it, it disappeared, and he felt his current weariness fade.

 ** _"_** ** _Go, and bring peace to Hyrule."_**

After this, the light shining above the statue disappeared. Link could tell this was not what the old man had wanted him to come here for; though it was convenient that he'd made Link get four spirit orbs, it didn't explain anything. He decided to look in the last possible place he could think of – the roof. Climbing a ladder that he'd spotted earlier, he found out that his guess was right as he noticed a blue glow from a small room on the roof. Being careful not to fall down, Link carefully walked along the narrow parts of the roof that were still left, and once he'd got to the more intact and stable part of the roof, progressed onwards quickly.

When he climbed up into the room, he saw the old man, except this time the flickering wisps surrounded him.

 _"_ _Well done there, young one."_ The old man said, the tone of his voice practically the same but it seemed to echo more, like it wasn't a human speaking.

 _"_ _Now then… the time has come to show you who I truly am. I… was King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule. I was… the last leader of Hyrule."  
_ Before Link even had time to react, the old man – or _King_ – burst into bright light, making Link have to shield his eyes. What he saw afterwards was… Well, there was going to have to be a big explanation.

After finishing his story, the King began to tell Link what he should do now.

 _"_ _I believe it would be quite reckless for you to head directly to the castle at this point. I suggest… that you make your way east, out to one of the villages in the wilderness. Follow the road to Kakariko village. There you will find the elder Impa."_

Impa… it was an unfamiliar name, but it was probably somebody he once knew but had now forgotten. The story just told to him had left Link speechless. He felt even more desperation to have the land now, but he felt so much shame in falling to the enemy and practically dooming Hyrule to the brink of destruction…

 _"_ _Make your way past the twin summits of the Duelling Peaks. Here is the paraglider, just as I promised…"_

Finally, Link was able to leave the isolation of the Great Plateau and continue on his journey to save the land.

 _"_ _There is… one more thing. On your quest, you must find another one destined to aid you. The kingdom of Hyrule has never faced such a dangerous evil ever before. That is why there is need of somebody else to help you overcome the evil. But do not be alarmed by his appearance; though he may look like a beast, he has the heart of a hero."_ The King informed Link.

 _A beast…_ he thought, _I should be careful as to what I classify as an enemy…_

 _"_ _Link… you must… save… Hyrule…"_ the King finished, as he faded away like he'd done previously, outside the shrine, except this time, Link assumed it was for good. As the last wisps of light faded, Link turned to face the vast kingdom of Hyrule and wondered if this time, he could save it.

* * *

 **Author Notes:**

Originally, Wolf Link and BoTW Link were going to meet in this chapter, but I really wanted to get it done so you're gonna have to wait for the next one. It'll get exciting soon I promise.

Did you notice any of the small details I changed in BoTW's story? Some of them were to do with the plot of this fic, some of them were just to make it easier to write, or some of them were to just make the writing make sense, like the heart containers and stuff.

Anyway, thanks so much for reading, I appreciate all the reviews I've been getting.

I think in this chapter, I answered somebody's question about whether the King of Hyrule would be aware of the other Link.

Someone said something about how Wolf Link should find a way to change back to human and wolf by will. I'd never really thought of that before, but it could be good if I figure out a sensible way to incorporate it at some point.

And to the person who told me not to call Wolf Link 'Wolfy', don't worry, I'd never do that lol. Speaking of names for Wolf Link, please suggest something to call him, I'm terrible at naming D: As nice and cool as names like 'Twilight' are for him, it's gotta be something that BoTW Link would name him, since Wolf Link can't talk.


	5. Chapter 4

Well, I'm finally updating this again, it's been a while, I know.

I'm going to be adding in names under line breaks just to clear up which character it's set in the POV of. If there's no name, it probably means it's just the same POV as the part before the line break.

I don't really have anything else to say here, so onto the story!

* * *

Chapter 4

 _Link (Twilight Princess)_

The Hylian climbed the tower, unaware he was being watched by feral eyes that were filled with child-like curiosity and excitement. These eyes belonged to a large, grey wolf: Link. Link watched the Hylian climb the tower that was a dull orange colour. It had to be him. Link thought back to when he'd first saw his face.

 _The thing that had shocked Link so badly was not a thing, or monster, but rather, a person. He was a Hylian who wore fairly worn out and tattered clothes, but his face was the shocking part. The Hylian looked almost exactly the same as Link; the resemblance was undeniable. Immediately, Link knew that this was the hero he had been looking for. The hero then went up to the tower and began to climb it, leaving Link to wait at the bottom.  
_ Suddenly, the orange colour of the tower turned into a calming blue and some mechanisms moved at the top. Link took a few steps back in wonder. There really were a lot of things that he needed to learn about this new hero. He waited a few more minutes, and finally, the hero appeared once again, gliding towards the ground using a paraglider. The hero looked like he was ready to head off, when Link confronted him. He watched as the hero instinctively took out his sword and waited for an attack. Link stayed still in that position, hoping that it would convey he was not a threat. When the hero lowered his weapon slightly, Link took a few steps closer. The hero opposite him raised his sword yet again at the wolf who approached him, clearly confused at what was happening.  
It was clear that trying to get closer was not working, he just appeared hostile whilst he was in the form of a wolf. Perhaps this hero would recognise the mark of the Triforce which he bore on his left hand? He no longer possessed the Triforce of Courage, but it's mark still remained on the back of his left hand, both when in wolf form and not. Link decided to try it and he held up his left paw for the hero to see.

* * *

 _Link (Breath of the Wild)_

Raising his word in defence, Link watched as the wolf walked closer. He was confused: why was this wolf acting so strangely? All the other wolves he'd met in the vast landscape of Hyrule would attack him without a second thought. This wolf, however... seemed to be trying to _communicate_ with him. It sounded crazy, even only saying it in his head. But the wolf looked as though it was trying not to appear hostile. Link watched as the wolf stopped at the sight of a weapon once again raised at it. The wolf seemed to be thinking, but how was that possible? Animals don't think like humans, do they? One thing was for certain - this was no ordinary wolf. He was surprised when the wolf lifted it's paw as if there show him something - Link looked at the wolf's paw purely out of curiosity. There, on the back of it, was a symbol made of three triangles stacked upon one another. The mark of the Triforce. He knew nothing of what it was, only that it was a symbol of the Goddesses.  
"You're... You're the one who is supposed to help me?" Link asked the obvious question , disbelief present in his voice. Relief seemed to sparkle in the wolf's eyes, and it nodded.  
 _It can even understand me..._ thought Link. After a minute or so, Link realised that he'd been so caught up in his thoughts that his weapons were still drawn.  
"Oh, sorry." Link said, frantically sheathing his sword. He sat down, exhausted and the wolf took its place beside him.  
"My name's Link. What about you?" He asked to the wolf. Silence followed.  
"Oh, right." He spoke, remembering that the wolf couldn't say anything.  
"Do you... Have a name?" Link asked the wolf curiously. For some unusual reason, it seemed as though the wolf actually had to think about this question, but in the end, it's response was a shake of its head.  
"Then how about... uh..." Link mumbled, trying to name the wolf. "How about 'Dusk'? Because your fur is grey, and also because it will always remind us of the first time we met; at dusk."

* * *

 _Dusk_

"My name's Link."  
Link, the wolf, sighed internally. Of course they had to share the same name, just to complicate things. The conversation seemed to move along without Link having to do or say anything. Eventually, it came to a question where Link would have to nod or shake his head.  
"Do you... Have a name?" Link had to think about the question a bit. In the end he decided to shake his head, as it would be less confusing to have a different name to the new Link. Also, he didn't want to have to go through the trouble of the other Link having to guess his name by pointing with his nose at the chain links of his shackle. The shackle was on his leg, and it once restrained him inside a cell in the twilight-covered Hyrule Castle.  
"How about 'Dusk'? Because your fur is grey, and also because it will always remind us of the first time we met; at dusk." He looked up, and sure enough, the sky was full of colour. Further away from the colour created by the rays of the sun were grey tones - the origin of the new name Dusk.  
Dusk. It was a nice name, which he liked. He would prefer being called Link, but it would definitely work for now. The name even fitted into a twilight theme – which was suiting for him. Dusk noticed that Link was already lying down. Maybe he'd had a day just as exhausting as his own. He lay down, intending to also sleep. He felt himself beginning to enter the realm of dreams, whilst feeling glad that he'd finally found the one he was looking for.

* * *

 _Link_

The two arrived at the Duelling Peaks stable the next day. Link had explained that they had to head to a village called Kakariko to seek out someone by the name of 'Impa'. He had a map on some sort of strange device (a 'Sheikah Slate'), but it appeared to be that it was designed for the person using it to fill in the names of areas themselves, so they had to stop and ask someone at the stables. Link, followed by Dusk, walked up to what seemed to be a counter.

"Welcome to my stable. We deal in all things horse-related. We also double as an inn." The man told Link as he approached, then noticed Dusk.

"Woah! Uh, sorry, I was just surprised. That's quite the unusual pet you have there." The man at the counter exclaimed in surprise after seeing Dusk for the first time. Many of the other people at the stable turned to look at the large wolf in curiosity.

"I… suppose." Link replied. He'd completely forgot that Dusk would most likely scare people. "Anyway, I was looking for directions to a place called Kakariko? Do you know any directions?" he asked.

"Sure, just head up that path there, it'll take you there. You can probably make it there just after noon if you set off now."

The two turned their gazes to the direction the man at the counter was pointing to. The road seemed to be fairly long: it started straight then turned into more of an uphill slope.

"Looks like you're good to go. The name's Tasseren, by the way. You can come back here if you ever need to rest. I know how hard life can be for travellers."

"Thanks. I'll make sure to remember." Link said whilst marking the stable on his map. He then waved and began to head in the right direction, with Dusk at his side.

* * *

 _Dusk_

It was tragic how Hyrule had collapsed years ago – Dusk had been shocked when Link told his tale - but it was hard to deny that the scenery of this almost abandoned world was amazing. Fields of green grass stretched out as far as the eye could see, a huge mountains were visible in the distance, and flowers grew everywhere. The wind brought with it a feeling of ruin and beauty at the same time – something he would have not considered to be possible before his death. The grey wolf wanted nothing more than to explore this world, but he knew that he had to stick to the path that they walked upon and fulfil his duty to the Goddesses – no, his ancestor.

Looking back to Link, he could see in his expression how lost he was. Dusk thought that it had been bad enough to lose the memory of his death, so he couldn't imagine how Link felt losing the memories of his entire life. It must be so painful to wake up without a clue of who you are, only to find out that you were a hero who failed in his task, causing the destruction of Hyrule.

Dusk's eyes travelled down to the Sheikah Slate hung on his hip. The closest thing in technology he'd seen to that small device had been the Sky Cannon which had fired him to the City in the Sky – even that could not compare to this, which apparently could defy all laws of physics. Now that he had a closer look at the device, he noticed a symbol on the back, which all too familiar. He'd seen it before: the symbol was the same as the ones which were engraved into the howling stones. Perhaps if he howled one of the songs, something would happen. But which song? He decided on the song he howled at the sacred grove. Although the stones for that song had the Triforce on them instead, it seemed to be the song that worked for most things.

 _Now, how did it go…?_

Link turned around when he noticed that Dusk had stopped walking. He was sitting as if trying to remember something.

"Dusk, what are you-" his words were cut off as his wolf companion began to howl. The howls kept changing to different pitches and Link realised that he was howling a tune. The tune echoed through the empty landscape, and he immediately recognised the tune.

"I know this tune… Where is it from?"

Link's eyes widened as he remembered.

* * *

 _Link_

The melody was calming, coming from such a beautiful instrument. An ocarina, he recalled, recognising the sound that the blue instrument played. And the person playing the ocarina...

Zelda.

Link didn't remember her – but he somehow knew it was Zelda. He didn't remember her long, blonde hair, or those soft green eyes, yet it was familiar, and Link knew that she was the one he had failed all those years ago.

The song came to an end and the ocarina parted from her lips.

"Did you like that song, Link? It's called Zelda's Lullaby. My… my mother used to play it for me, all those years ago, before she passed away."

Link wanted to tell her something – he wanted to reach out and apologize for everything he'd done. But he couldn't. He felt his head nod, something that he didn't do voluntarily. It seemed that he was only able to watch these events and not alter them. Which meant this must be one of his memories that was thought to have been forever lost.

"You still stay as silent as ever… Don't you trust me enough to talk?" she spoke again, In a frustrated and angry tone. "Never mind." She quickly muttered. She motioned to the ocarina in her hands. "This is the Ocarina of Time, a sacred instrument passed down through the Royal Family of Hyrule. There's a legend passed down through the Royal Family that a hero once used it to travel through time and save the land."

Zelda looked down guiltily.

"I-I… Maybe I'm supposed to give this to you, seeing as you have possession of the Sword that Seals the Darkness, proof that you are destined to be a great hero, but…"

She brought the ocarina closer to her chest.

"This is the only thing I have left to remind me of my mother…"

She brought up her head to stare into Link's eyes.

"So, instead, all I can give you is this song. It may be of no use to you, but all I ask is that you remember it."

Silence filled the room after those words were spoken and Zelda once again looked away.

"I have to go now. For training. You know you don't need to accompany me there."

She got up hastily, and without a second word, walked out of the room they'd been in. Link wanted to go after her, he wanted to know more about her. He wanted to be able to remember her. But it was only a memory of past events, and could only watch as the surrounding area faded into white.

* * *

Link's eyes jolted open, seeing the familiar path he'd been taking to Kakariko Village. A confused wolf was looking up at him.

"I'm sorry for making you worry, Dusk. I-I think I remember something. It was that song that triggered the memory." He was still slightly disorientated, and so he shook his head to clear the haziness. "Where did you learn that song anyway?"

Link knew that Dusk couldn't answer the question properly, and the closest thing he got to an answer was a paw being lifted to once again show the mark of the Triforce.

"The Triforce…? What even is it, anyway? Is it to show that you're sent from the Goddesses?"

He was met with a shake of the head. All that did was create more unanswered questions.

"It doesn't matter. We really need to get going again, we've stalled enough."

The time really had passed, as the sun had began to set already. The pair once again set off for Kakariko, but this time at a faster pace. More monsters would appear at night, so it would be best to get there soon.

Eventually, they rounded a corner to see a gate leading to what was presumably Kakariko Village.

"We… finally… made it…" Link panted after having to run for so long. He really needed to rest after the tiring day of travelling – not to mention how he was still disorientated from that memory earlier. Sleep could wait, though. The fate of Hyrule was a lot more urgent. As he was about to enter the gate, a guard stopped him.

"Halt! What do you plan on doing by bringing a beast such as that into our village?" The guard said with hostility clear in his voice.

"He's not a beast, he's my, uh, companion."

"Nonsense! There is no way that a wolf-" The guards eyes settled on the Sheikah Slate at his hip. "Forgive me! I didn't realise that you are the very hero of legend…" He looked over to Dusk. "And I was mistaken about that wolf. He bears the mark of the sacred triangles. Hero, you must go and see Impa immediately! She lives in that house over there."

He pointed at a large house up a big flight of stairs. And then motioned for the pair to go.

As Dusk walked past the houses, he felt fairly disappointed. Ever since that he'd first heard that they were going to Kakariko Village, he was relieved that he'd finally be seeing a familiar place again. But, despite the name, was definitely not Kakariko. Back in his own time, the village had been barren, but now it was packed full of houses. The culture was strange, too, something he'd never seen before. Red decorations were hung from string all arund the villages, and the houses were strange, too.

Link wondered how the guard at the entrance to the village had known that he was the hero. There was no way that he'd known him before the Calamity happened – after all, that had been one hundred years ago. It seemed that he had recognised the Sheikah Slate and the Triforce, but why had the people at the stable not recognised it? When he reached the door leading into Impa's house he paused. Behind this door could be the answer to so many of his questions. Was he ready to learn all this yet? Maybe he should get rest first.

 _No,_ he thought, _I need answers._

Link then proceeded to open the door.

* * *

Thanks a lot for reading. As I've said, I'm sorry that this update took so long. I prefer to write at my own pace/whenever I feel like it.

So the story has been going kind of slow-paced so far, but know that the two Links have met, the story will probably start to progress a bit faster.

So, why did I choose to add in a completely new memory that I made up? Well... there wasn't really much point, but I really felt like doing that. I suppose it kind of introduces Link to Zelda.

No, I didn't forget Hestu on the way to Kakariko, I just don't see the point in adding him in this.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 _Link_

When the door was opened, an old lady was immediately noticeable straight ahead. She sat on top of a tall pile of cushions. Her appearance was similar to the rest of the people who lived in Kakariko Village – the only difference being that she wore a large hat with the familiar eye symbol. More of these symbols dangled from chains which were attached to the hat. Her head was facing downwards when Link entered the building, but after noticing somebody's presence, her head jolted up to look at the newcomer, the chains on her hat making noise as she did so.

"…So, you're finally awake." The old woman spoke. "It's been quite a long time, Link. I am a lot older now, but… you remember me, don't you?"

Unfortunately, like with many other things, Link couldn't recall who this woman was. He at least assumed that she was the one called Impa who he had been searching for.

"I…" Link began to speak, but couldn't think of any words to say.

"What is the matter? You are looking at me as though I am a stranger to you." She shook her head in disbelief. "Those eyes… they lack the light of familiarity. It is I, courageous one. Impa. Surely you must at least remember the name Impa?"

The last sentence she spoke was in a desperate tone. Link shook his head sadly, unable to remember her.

"I see… so you have lost your memory. Well, it matters not. In fact, that may even be a blessing in disguise for the time being. Dearest Link… Please come a bit closer."

Link listened to her words and took a few steps towards her.

"A hundred years ago…Yes…A hundred years ago, the kingdom of Hyrule was destroyed."

Bowing his head, Link felt shame about failing in his task to protect the kingdom. Everywhere he went, the Calamity always seemed to be mentioned. He felt even worse knowing that Impa would have experienced the Calamity first-hand. Impa continued to talk.

"After you fell, Princess Zelda's final wish was to place you in a sacred slumber. And then… All alone… Alone she went to face Ganon. Before Princess Zelda went to nobly meet her fate… She entrusted me with some words she wished to say to you."

It made Link feel terrible that even after he failed his duty to protect everyone, Zelda still wished to save him. He couldn't stop Ganon even though he was meant to be the hero; instead the role fell upon Zelda.

"I have been waiting one hundred years to deliver the Princess' message."

That's right. Zelda had been fighting and holding back the Calamity for one hundred years while he slept. Link realised that whatever this message was, it would have to be extremely important to have been kept by Impa for that long.

"However!"

Link was caught by surprise and taken aback by this sudden outburst. He had just been expecting Impa to give the message straight away.

"These words which the Princess risked her life to give you…Well, if you are to hear them… You must be prepared to risk your life as well. But I am afraid that burden may be too much for you to bear without your memories."  
 _No,_ Link thought. He knew that he should've prevented the Calamity one hundred years ago. Whatever it costs, he would save Hyrule. He at least owed the people that much. _Especially Zelda._ She was the one individual that he could remember – the memory he witnessed caused him to remember. After everything that she'd done for the kingdom, Link should do his part.

"If that's what it costs to defeat Calamity Ganon, I am prepared to risk my life." Link spoke confidently to Impa, who smiled upon hearing his words.

"Not a memory to your name, yet you are as intent as ever to charge forward with only courage and justice on your side. You have not changed a bit. Once a hero, always a hero."

She paused for a moment.

"Very well. Since you have lost your memory, I will recount to you all that has happened… Hmm?" Suddenly Impa's attention was directed towards the appearance of a large grey wolf that had just walked through the door. She soon noticed the Triforce symbol on the back of it's paw.

"I see, so this is the one…" Impa muttered quietly. "If you do not mind me asking, what is the name of this wolf?"

Link was surprised that Impa knew Dusk was here to aid him, but still answered the question quickly.

"Dusk. I called him that because he didn't have a name."

Impa smiled and lowered her head so that her hat concealed her eyes.

"I see. So you are not aware of his true identity… I know that you are confused right now, but eventually, the truth will come to light, so do not worry."

She suddenly brought her head back up.

"I will now continue with the story. Listen carefully."

* * *

 ** _The history of the Royal Family is also the history of Calamity Ganon, a primal evil that has endured over the ages. This evil has been turned back time and time again by a warrior wielding the soul of a hero, and a princess who carries the blood of a Goddess._**

 _Lightning strikes, providing light for a split second, but it is enough light to briefly see the surroundings: the fallen ruins of a once vast castle. Suddenly, a great beast emerges from the ruins. Only one brave and courageous soul dares stand up to it – a hero dressed in green. His sword is sent flying from his hand by one of the huge swords that the beast carries. Despite this situation, the courageous hero still stands up to the beast who threatens to destroy his homeland. Using the light arrows entrusted to him by an important individual, the hero shoots the beast in the face, inflicting pain, but only enough to distract it. It buys him a few seconds, and he makes the most of his time by searching for a weak spot. A fairy quickly flies behind the beast and hovers near it's tail to indicate that the creature could be hurt if it is hit there. The hero sees the fairy who is a trusty companion who has never let him down, and brings out a large, metal hammer which was left behind for him by a precious friend, someone who considered them as 'brothers'. The hero forcefully slams the hammer onto the beast's tail and continues doing so, but he overestimates the amount of hits he can get in on it. It swings around and hits him with a sword, sending him flying and leaving a deep wound. Most people would give in here and let fate handle the rest, but the hero refuses. Maybe it's because he wants to save his friends. Maybe it's because of the golden triangle he possesses. Or maybe it's because he has the soul of the hero. Whatever the reason is, he is determined to defeat this beast as fate has foretold. The hero dodges another attack that the beast swings at him, then once again stuns it with the light arrows. He repeats the process of stunning and attacking for a while, until the beast shows signs of weakening significantly. The flames surrounding the ruins die down and a voice calling him can be heard. Without wasting any time, he runs towards the voice. It is the one who gave him the light arrows, and she tells him to take up the sword that was sent flying earlier. He does as she says and returns back to the fight just in time for the beast to recover from being stunned. He once again repeats the process that he had carried out before: stun, then attack. Each blow seems to do more damage with the sword then the hammer. Eventually, the beast is brought to its knees. The other person uses her last ounce of power to hold the beast in place, but she is obviously weakening and will soon not be able to continue any longer. The sword in the hand of the hero begins to glow and he knows what he must do. Wasting no time, he delivers three strong strikes and then plunges the sword into the head of the beast. Though this doesn't defeat it, it's weakened enough to seal away. The now weakened woman calls upon the powers of the seven sages of this land and seals the beast away. The land is now at peace, though the beast is always destined to return._

 ** _With the passage of time, each conflict with Ganon faded into legend._**

 _The hero tries to live a normal life after that but can't. Everywhere he goes, he is ignored. After the battle, time was reversed so that the disaster and destruction of the evil forces would never have struck the land. This means nobody knows there was ever any evil, and never knows about the hero that bravely stood up against it. He knows this shouldn't bother him – he didn't save the land for recognition or popularity, but he feels lonely knowing that he is the only one who remembers the dark times. Even none of the great friends he made on his journey remember him._

 _He continues out his life like this. He grows, and eventually dies, full of regret and sorrow. The regret in his life weighs down his soul and he is unable to go pass on to the afterlife. If he can somehow pass on his legend, he can finally be at peace. He will have to find a descendant as nobody else remembers his tale._

 _Or so he thinks._

* * *

 _"You seem troubled, Princess."_

 _The words seem to be directed at a girl no older than the age of ten who is looking through a window in a garden. Upon hearing the words, she quickly turns around in alarm, previously unaware of any other people being with her. She relaxes when she recognises who is speaking to her._

 _"Oh, it's just you, Impa…" The girl says. She then looks down to the ground shortly after._

 _"Impa, I was just thinking… About that boy who came here not too long ago and warned us about Ganondorf."_

 _"He was quite strange. It still remains a mystery about how he knew about Ganondorf's plans." A tall figure, presumably Impa, replies._

 _"No. It's still quite vague and cloudy but… I remember something." The girl says and then looks away afterwards._

 _"What do you mean 'remembered', Princess? You are only ten, and have barely left the castle before. There's no way you could have known this boy." Impa says, confused as to what the girl is talking about. The girl shakes her head and turns to look Impa in the eye._

 _"What I remembered never happened. It's almost like… a future that never was."_

 _Realisation starts to dawn on Impa._

 _"The Ocarina of Time, a precious heirloom of the Royal Family of Hyrule. If worthy, it allows the holder to enter the Door of Time, a link to the past and the future. Do you think…?"_

 _"Yes. That's why I gave it to him before he left. I can't remember everything, but I know what happened to the land seven years from now."_

 _Impa nods._

 _"Then please, tell me everything you know."_

 _"Of course, Impa. But first… do you think I'll ever see him again?"_

 _Impa looks at her feet._

 _"I… don't know."  
"Impa."_

 _She sighs._

 _"Probably not. A hero is destined to be called to other places. Now that his destiny with Hyrule is finished, who knows what may happen to him. The path of a hero is a dangerous one."_

 _The girl nods sadly at Impa's words._

 _"I will never forget what he's done for Hyrule, and I will never let it be forgotten. I know that you're going to tell me that we can't tell anyone outside of the Royal Family, so instead I will pass the legend down through the generations, along with the Ocarina of Time."  
"But Princess, you gave that to-"_

 _"He made a promise to return it someday. What kind of a hero wouldn't keep a promise?"_

 _Impa could only smile._

* * *

 ** _So listen closely as I tell you of this 'legend' that occurred 5,000 years ago._**

 ** _Hyrule was then blossoming as a highly advanced civilization. Even the most powerful monsters posed little threat to the denizens of the realm. The people thought it wise to utilize their technical prowess to ensure their safety, should Ganon ever return. They constructed four mechanical wonders which came to be known as the Divine Beasts. They also built a legion of autonomous weapons called Guardians. The Divine Beasts were piloted from four skilled individuals from all across the land. And thus, the plan to neutralize Ganon was formed. Upon Ganon's inevitable return to Hyrule, the princess and the hero fought alongside these four Champions against this ancient evil. The Guardians were tasked with protecting the hero as the Divine Beasts unleashed a furious attack upon their terrible foe. And when the hero wielding the Sword that Seals the Darkness dealt the final blow… The princess used her sacred power to seal away Ganon._**

* * *

"…" Impa's head was bowed in silence until she spoke again.

"A hundred years ago… In preparation for the foretold revival of Ganon, we strove to follow the lead of our ancestors 5,000 years prior. But… In the end… Despite our best efforts and careful planning, we underestimated his power. In order to avoid making that grave mistake ever again, the Princess left you these words… _Free the four Divine Beasts._ That is what she said."

It was all so much to think about at once. But he knew that he still had a duty to serve to Hyrule.

"Understood."

The grey wolf, Dusk, who had been sitting next to him and listening to the story intently, was surprised at the quick agreement of Link. Impa nodded after hearing his words.

"That is good to hear. The Four Divine Beasts are the ancient Sheikah weapons wielded by the four Champions who Ganon defeated. The Divine Beast Vah Rudania, controlled by Daruk of the Gorons. The Divine Beast Vah Ruta, controlled by Mipha of the Zora. The Divine Beast Vah Medoh controlled by Revali of the Rito. And the Divine Beast Vah Naboris controlled by Urbosa of the Gerudo. It would be extremely ill-advised to face Ganon without the power of the Divine Beasts to help you. You must infiltrate the Divine Beasts that were stolen away by Calamity Ganon 5,000 years ago and bring them back to our side. More information about these Divine Beasts can be found by locating the four races scattered across Hyrule. Please pass me your Sheikah Slate."

Link handed the Sheikah Slate over to Impa and watched as she marked the locations of the different races. "The Sheikah Slate will guide you on your way. You must go where it tells you to and meet with the each leader there."

He nodded. Just as Link was about ask for the Sheikah Slate back and leave, Impa spoke again.

"…It seems to me that your Sheikah Slate is not yet complete. The device that Princess Zelda left you is your guide and also your memory."

 _My… memory?_ Link thought. He remembered on the way to Kakariko when Dusk howled a tune and a memory came back to him. _So I can regain more memories_ he realised.

"Someone at the research lab in Hateno Village might be able to help you…"  
"Hateno Village?" Link questioned. He definitely didn't pass it on the way to Kakariko, but couldn't remember if he'd seen any signs pointing in the direction of it. Impa once again marked a point on the Sheikah Slate's map.

"The location shining on the eastern edge is Hateno Village. It is a very small village… one of the few places that avoided suffering significant damage during the Great Calamity."

Impa handed back the Sheikah Slate and bowed her head to Link.

"You are Princess Zelda's only hope… And Hyrule's, as well… You cannot turn back now. Follow your heart and seize your destiny!" She exclaimed, leaning forward.

"Of course." Link took that as his que to leave, and exited the building, Dusk behind him. The next destination: Hateno Village.

* * *

Once again, sorry for the really long update.

There isn't much story progression in this chapter, but it does fill in a bit of the Hero's Shade's past, aand how Zelda got the Ocarina back.

Thanks for reading.


	7. Chapter 6

EDIT: Quick update at the bottom.

Chapter 6

 _Link_

The warm glow of the slowly rising sun began to shine it's rays through the gaps of the tall mountains that surrounded Kakariko Village. People all around the village began to emerge from their houses shortly after, and the first person to emerge was Link and his wolf companion Dusk. They'd slept at an inn overnight and had emerged from it early so that they could hopefully get to Hateno Village before the sun set once again to signify the end of the day. Though this was assuming they didn't get lost; the road to Hateno wasn't shown on the map as the Duelling Peaks tower that he'd activated didn't fill in the map up to that point. To ensure that those events wouldn't happen, Link decided that he would ask a resident of the town, perhaps the one he had met yesterday at the gate, considering he would probably be used to giving directions.

"Excuse me?" Link called out as he neared the gate. The man who guarded the entrance turned around to face him.

"Oh, it's you again. Do you need something?" The guard replied.

"Yes, could I get directions to Hateno Village?" Link asked.

"Hateno Village? It's quite a common place for travellers, so I'm used to giving directions to get there. Head down the path here that you came in from, and before you reach the stables, there will be a fork in the road. After that keep heading down the path. There will be a couple of forks in the road but they all lead to the same place, so it doesn't matter which way you go. You'll know if you're going in the right direction if you pass the tower that recently emerged from the ground." The helpful guard answered.

It took Link a few seconds to take in the detailed description, and he eventually memorised the directions. He wouldn't have to remember them once he had the map, but the path to the tower was the same one as the guard had given to get to Hateno. Taking out his Sheikah Slate to quickly check if it could help in any way, he had realised that had been a good idea. Though the map cut off the area of Hateno, the fork in the road that the man had described was on the map, so he definitely knew which path to follow.

Link thanked the guard then set off on the path through which he had entered the village, with Dusk by his side. Sometimes the hero forgot that Dusk was even there, as he seemed to move as smoothly and quietly as a shadow at the hour of twilight. As the two walked down the path, Link thought for the first time about how lonely this world was. Not many towns and villages seemed to exist any more, and the ones that did were very small. Many people didn't have enough money to have a house, so had to be lonely travellers, going around to all the different stables on loop in hopes of making money from the people who were there. The people of this ruined world really had no hope every time they looked at Hyrule Castle.

Looking down at Dusk, Link realised how little he actually knew about him. All he knew that he was sent from the Goddesses to help defeat Calamity Ganon as he was too strong to be fought by one person alone. Other than that, the blue-eyed beast remained shrouded in mystery to him. There were so many questions surrounding the mysterious acquaintance - What was the Triforce that was marked on his paw? Why was a wolf sent, and not a human? Who was he really, to be considered a strong ally?

Link decided to stop thinking about if for now, as his questions wouldn't be answered, at least not yet. But he couldn't help thinking back to when he was in Impa's house, and she seemed to have knowledge of who dusk was. That intrigued Link – so it wasn't only the King of Hyrule who knew about him. It was curious that it was Impa who knew this, though. What kind of connection did she have with the Goddesses?

Realising that he'd stopped in his tracks whilst thinking Link shook his head and continued, catching up to Dusk who had stopped to wait for him. Eventually after travelling for five minutes and passing a traveller, the pair reached the fork in the road. The stable could be seen down the path that continued straight, so they made sure that they took the right direction by turning left. Link and Dusk eventually found themselves in an overgrown field filled with broken and rusted guardians. The path had been worn away from rough weather and what seemed to be the footsteps of the mechanical Guardians. It would be no surprise to Link if some sort of battle had taken place here. Though it was not unusual to see the lifeless bodies of Guardians lying around, it was strange that so many were gathered in one place. It was hard to imagine how this many had been wiped out. The two continued cautiously along the worn path, keeping an eye out to make sure that none of the Guardians were still functioning and waiting for them to step into range to shoot. They both treaded carefully across the barren land. Both of them had never seem a Guardian first-hand before, but they could recognise them as the same creatures from the tapestry Impa had displayed to them whilst telling the story of the past.

Link lowered his guard when they reached a huge stone wall. Out of curiosity, Link ran his hand along the rough and uneven walls. It was covered in cracks, dust and many chunks had been indented into the wall. It was easy to guess that this was due to the work of the Guardians, as there was lots of dust in the indents, hinting that the wall had been disintegrated and turned to dust from the Guardians' lasers. Bringing himself back to reality, Link realised he had been completely lost in thoughts and met the gaze of Dusk who was giving him a curious look. Heading over to the wolf, it turned out he was standing next to an entrance in the wall with a broken portcullis stationed at the top. He figured that it no longer worked after what seemed like a heavy attack on the wall from the Guardians, and it surprising held up quite well to still be standing after however many years ago it was faced with an onslaught of attacks.

Wasting no more time, the pair walked through the gate and along a path that led them through aa small forest area. After that, they were back to walking on the normal paths that led throughout the land of Hyrule, formed by excessive use. Eventually they arrived at a crossroads and after looking around Link took the right path as it headed to the next tower which would be useful for gaining a map and teleporting back to in the future. Climbing up a slope to get there, it was obvious that climbing this tower would be harder than the previous one. Instead of being just a normal tower with wire to climb on and platforms, it was covered by a thick layer of brambles. Though that would be no problem to handle.

Quickly drawing his bow and grabbing onto a fire arrow from his quiver, Link shot at the brambles. The point where the fire arrow connected with the brambles burst into flames, which began to almost immediately spread over the spiky vines. After the brambles were burnt away, the flames subdued, and the tower was safe to climb.

"Hey, Dusk? I'll tell you if I spot anything interesting around whilst climbing the tower." The grey wolf nodded at Link's words and watched as he began to scale the Sheikah Tower. When he had reached the third platform, he looked around, noticing something. It could almost be described as an island - below the hill from which the tower was situation on was a large stretch of grassy, low ground. In the middle of the huge, bare land was the 'island', which was a fairly small circle of land at a much higher level of ground then the expanse around it. When squinting, Link could even make out the tall shapes of Duelling Peaks and Kakariko past the island.

There was lots of treasure hidden among strange places in Hyrule, and Link assumed that it was stolen by monsters such as bokoblins. The island could be somewhere treasure was kept. Looking down, Link spotted Dusk and shouted down to the wolf. "I have a good view from here." He then proceeded to point at the island. "It isn't immediately visible from the ground unless you go right to the edge of this hill, but there's a suspicious patch of la d over there. After I collect the map data, I'm going to paraglide over there from the tower and be right back after inspecting it." Taking one last glance down at Dusk, Link once again began climbing the tower.

* * *

 _Dusk_

Dusk couldn't help but feel annoyed. He understood that Link knew he couldn't paraglide over to the place he wanted to explore with him, but he could at least not go and inspect the suspicious place. After all, Link could get himself into danger, and the only reason he was sent to this time was because he needed to aid and protect him. Dusk jumped slightly in surprise as the tower's orange light suddenly faded away only to be replaced with blue. Dusk knew that this indicated the tower had been activated, so Link must have reached the top. Deciding to look at the island, Dusk moved to the edge of the steep hill and saw it. By foot, it would be difficult to get to, although not impossible. Hesitantly placing a paw on one of rocks that built up the side of the hill, Dusk began to slowly and carefully scale down the hill. After finally making it to the bottom, Dusk began to sprint, as he saw Link already paragliding over there, though he didn't seem to have noticed the grey wolf. He saw Link landing on the island just as he was approaching it. Scrambling up the rocks, Dusk managed to make it up the steep obstacle, surprising Link by coming up from behind.

"You still came?" Link said in shock. "You always surprise me." He said, shaking his head. He then proceeded to take a few seconds to glance around the surface they were on. Nothing was in sight except a few rocks. Not deciding to give up yet, Link decided to walk around. He walked past the rocks to the other side with Dusk close behind but still didn't find anything of interest. "Well, it looks like there wasn't much point in -" After starting to speak, Link was interrupted by a deafening rumbling that shook the ground with force coming from behind them. Turning around, they were met with a shocking sight: the rocks they had walked past earlier we're slowly rising from the ground in the form of a huge stone titan. Grey stones made up the monster - it's body being made of one large boulder and it's arms and legs being made of smaller rocks. On its back was a dark, glistening rock, not unlike a gemstone, that jutted out. The pair both exchanged looks, both having noticed the somewhat obvious weak point of the titan, then turned back to the huge creature, only to be met by a huge, flying boulder. Dusk managed to dive into Link just in time, pushing both of them away from the boulder which would most definitely crush them if it hit.

"Dusk!" Link shouted down to the wolf in desperation. "I'll hit the rock on its back with an arrow! You distract it!" Dusk nodded, agreeing with the sensible plan. Without hesitation, he locked his sight on the stone titan, then ran forward and slammed his body into it full force. Though the stone creature didn't recoil or stumble backwards due to its vast size and heavy weight, the body slam succeeded in drawing attention to Dusk, who quickly retreated away from the creature. It didn't notice as Link sprinted around to the back of it, instead focusing on slamming a boulder into the wolf. Dusk managed to dodge the boulder that was thrown at him. The stone titan, now with a lack of arms after hurling them at the two attackers, slammed half of its body into the ground to recover some more boulders. Using this as an opportunity as the gemstone on its back was now in an easy position to hit, Link drew his bow and shot an arrow at it. Landing the hit, the arrow inflicted pain on the huge, living boulder, causing it fall flat, giving an opportunity to climb atop and strike. Seizing this chance, Link jumped and scrambled on top of the stone titan with ease. Taking out a rusty broadsword, Link started to strike the gemstone repeatedly, smaller gemstones flying off with each hit. The stone golem shook with every hit, a clear sign that damage was being inflicted upon the creature. However, after a few hits it seemed to regain its bearings and shake off the Hylian with tremendous force.

Dusk rushed over to see if Link was alright after the sudden impact with the ground. Bleeding slightly on his arm, Link nodded, wiping dirt off his face as he got to his feet. Without any time to recover, the two both noticed a boulder flying at them, and manged to dart out of the way before it came close to hitting either of them. Using the same strategy, the two split up, Dusk making sure the focus was on him. Avoiding another stone attack, he knew the weak point would be exposed soon as it needed to recover by digging into the ground. Watching as the stone golem jammed itself to the ground to recover its limbs, he waited for the arrow to hit the weak spot. But it never did. Only just managing to dodge an unexpected stone hurtling towards him, Dusk looked at the Hylian running to him in desperation.

"Dusk, my bow broke, and it was my last one." Dusk glanced at him in panic. How would they get out of this situation now? "Don't worry I have a plan. This time I'll distract him, as there's no hope of me climbing that thing without knocking it down with an arrow first. But you may be able to climb it when it's recovering its arms with those claws."

Dusk nodded and the two split up once again. While Link distracted it, Dusk made sure to stay in close proximity behind the titan. Seeing it throw its last arm, Dusk prepared to make a jump up its back. Colliding with the ground, the creature struggled to pull out stones from the ground. Using the opportunity, Dusk jumped as high as his powerful legs could make him. Just missing the top, Dusk scrabbled desperately on the stone surface, managing to dig his claws in and climb up before he could fall. Reaching flat ground, the wolf wasted no time and attacked the gemstone. Quite skilled at fighting in his wolf form after years of experience, he slashed at the stone as much as he could. When he felt the golem about to shake him off, he made one last attempt to attack it, lunging to it and attacking it with all the energy he had. The gemstone cracked and broke, causing the huge creature to fall and shortly after disintegrating into purple smoke, leaving behind tons of what appeared to be valuable gemstones. Gazing at the glistening ores, Dusk peeled his eyes away as Link came running over.

"I can't believe we really did it…" He said wide-eyed and out of breath. "If you're wondering what that was, it was a Stone Talus. I got the name from analysing it through my Sheikah slate but other than that, I don't know anything about it." He paused to catch his breath and began walking around, picking up the gemstones lying around and depositing them in his pouch. Then he glanced over at Dusk guiltily. "I'm sorry for leaving you behind. If you weren't there to help me I'd be, you know… Yeah." He crouched down so he was eye level with the grey wolf. "I still don't know who you are, and I don't know when I'll be getting any answers. But I do know the Goddesses sent you for a reason, so we should stick together." Dusk nodded. The Hylian sat down next to him and let out a sigh. "I wish it was easier to express feelings through words. I just… wish I had my memories. Everything is so confusing to me at the moment. What was I like before? Who were the Champions? I'm supposed to know all these things. And most of all, who are you? I travel with you every day, and we're so close, yet you're like a stranger to me." He laughed. "It's so strange, having a conversation with you when you can't even reply."

Dusk looked over at the Hylian and walked closer. He couldn't even imagine what it would be like to be him. Losing memories was painful, not only for yourself, but for those close to you, too. It brought back memories of when Ilia didn't even remember his face. Dusk nudged the other to comfort him, though he couldn't really do anything more. Link looked over at him and smiled. "Thanks." Then he turned back to gazing at the sky which Dusk did also.

Even when he was travelling as a hero, Dusk could have never imagined he'd see such vast and beautiful lands such as this one, even though it was still Hyrule. The kingdom really had expanded and changed when he'd been gone.

He really didn't want to imagine what the Calamity would be like if it required two heroes to defeat it. But even though this land was unlike anything he'd ever seen before, it was still Hyrule, his home land, and he would protect it with everything he had.

* * *

A/N

I AM NOT DEAD AND THIS FIC ISN'T EITHER! I didn't forget about it or anything, I'm just amazing at procrastinating. Anyway sorry for the long update and I'll try to update sooner next time as it's the summer break and I have no excuse for not writing.

EDIT: If you're wondering if this is ever going to be updated, it will be. I'm still writing. Again, sorry for the long waits. I'll try to write a bit more but of course no guarantees.


	8. Chapter 7

**I haven't updated this since August, oof. Sorry this chapter is short, I haven't had much motivation recently and just wanted to get this out as soon as possible. I'll explain a few things at the end of the chapter. Not proof read, once again just wanted to get it out, so please excuse mistakes.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 _ **Link**_

The pair managed to arrive at Hateno Village fairly early the next morning. The fact that they had no proper shelter to sleep in that night made them uneasy thus not much sleep was achieved. When dawn broke the two, despite being extremely tired were more than eager to set off and arrive somewhere safer.

Gazing upon the village the word that you could describe it with was… neat. The houses were all neatly arranged, each having a consistent design to them as if they were made of cubes stacked on top of each other. The fact that the houses were so close and they all adorned the same red roof as each other made the village seem small once they entered it, however upon closer inspection, it seemed a lot larger, looking along the long path that winded up the hills further on with many windmills dotted along the way. When Link squinted, he could clearly see a lone building on top of the furthest hill which looked as though it was only just within range of the windmills, fields and other houses to be considered part of Hateno. Though it wasn't a huge village, Hateno was noticeably larger and more bustling then Kakariko. It was clear from the amount of houses that more people resided in this town, though it was also given away by quite a few people walking along the path, gossiping at the side or standing at the front of shops calling out for people to go inside and shop there. Link was also delighted to find that there was an inn here so after doing what they needed to do here they had the option to catch up on the lost sleep of the previous night.

With Dusk along his side, Link walked along the path all whilst gazing upon the variety of shops which had much more variety than Kakariko's. Entering a clothes shop, Link immediately noticed what seemed to be soldier's gear, and he immediately realised that it could be very useful, with the protective armour. Glancing around, he couldn't immediately notice a shopkeeper – the desk was empty. Perhaps the shop was closed? He was informed of the shopkeeper's location when he heard a whimper behind him. Turning around he saw a girl shaking with her head in her hands whilst pressed up againt the corner, Dusk standing curiously in front of her. Rushing over to the shaking girl he immediately reassured her.

"Ah! Sorry about him, he's my… pet. I mean, don't worry, he's, uh, tame!" Link quickly spurted out, losing any sense of his usual dignified and mannerly way of speaking he usually used when speaking with strangers.

Slowly, the girl lifted her head from her hands and breathed out a sigh.

"S-sorry, it's not you fault. I-I'm naturally quite a timid person so I was j-just standing in this corner when I saw him and got a bit s-scared." She stuttered out quietly though not meeting his eye. "W-welcome to my shop, i-is there anything you are interested in?" The girl bowed whilst welcoming Link.

"Actually, yes. I noticed that armour over there – how much is it?" Link asked, his usual politeness making its way back into his speech. When talking with people he knew and trusted, such as Dusk, he would be a lot more relaxed and less dignified in his speech. Not that there was anyone else he did know or trust. Was there? He couldn't remember. His mind flashed back to Zelda, but he quickly shook the memory out of his head recalling he was in the middle of a conversation. Just managing to catch a quiet

"O-of course, let me s-show it to y-you…", Link followed the shy girl over to the armour set on display. "T-the greaves are seven hundred rupees, the a-armour is one thousand t-two hundred rupees, and the helm is n-nine hundred rupees…" she quietly informed Link about the prices, then buried her head in her hands once again and muttered, "O-oh gosh, I hope I d-didn't drive him away with the p-prices."

Checking his bag that was attached to his belt he counted a total of 850 rupees. Deciding to just settle with the greaves, he bought them and exited the quiet shop to a farewell of "T-thank you!"

Now equipped with some armour, the Hylian felt a lot safer walking around which brought him comfort. He felt as though he'd be able to protect his head and torso from enemy attacks, but if a monster went for his legs, he wasn't so sure if he'd be able to defend it.

It would do for now, he decided.

Now outside once again, Link looked around, wondering where the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab was located. He felt a nudge on his leg and looking down saw it was Dusk. Watching him curiously, Dusk turned his head to point towards what seemed to be a house on top of a hill that was just passed Hateno. Link knew where he was heading next.

* * *

 ** _Wolf Link_**

By the time Dusk reached Kakariko village with Link closely behind, he was tired beyond belief. The day had been hectic and strange, to say the least. They'd only just made it back to Kakriko before dark. Utterly worn out and resting at the entrance to the village, the grey wolf recalled the events after they arrived at the tech lab.

First they walked into to see a very out of place child, soon who they discovered to be Purah, the person(?) in charge of the Tech Lab. Upon seeing the Sheikah Slate hung at Link's belt, she suddenly started rambling about how it was broken, thus starting their long quest to obtain some blue fire from the furnace. Unsurprisingly, the task didn't happen to be an easy one, the flame being extremely prone to extinguishing with just a tiny amount of wind. This resulted in the journey having to be done many times until the furnace was finally lit, upon the two erupted into joy and relief. Purah then installed a new camera rune onto the slate now that her power source was once again working. Dusk and Link had both sighed in relief, now planning to relax for the last few hours of daylight until Purah had ordered them to head back to Kakariko Village immediately. Upon their protests she had said some things along the lines of "Stop being so lazy, you've just slept for one hundred years!" and "Hyrule is in grave danger, there's no time for you to just stop and relax! You're the hero, for crying out loud."

And that's how they ended up travelling to Kakariko Village for the rest of the day, completely draining all their energy.

"You know what, let's visit Impa tomorrow…" Dusk heard Link mutter next to him. Looking over at the Hylian, he was leaning on the gateway of the village, eyes half closed in sheer exhaustion.

Agreed, Dusk thought and led the way to the inn. Checking in with the owner and Link not hesitating to hand over the required amount of rupees to the owner, Dusk lay down on a pillow and rested, the exhaustion from the day not failing to make him fall asleep quickly.

Daylight was not streaming through the window when Link awoke. He sat up groggily in the dark, looked over to Dusk and saw that he was still asleep. Getting out from the soft bedsheets, he walked over to the window and figured out there was still an hour or so until sunlight from the moon's position in the sky. Heading back to his bed, Link wondered what had awoken him so early and just put it down to nerves. When he once again closed his eyes for a good fifteen minutes, sleep didn't come. That was when he truly noticed the nervousness in his stomach. Sighing deeply, he opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He was nervous for his meeting with Impa when the day arrived. The words she had said prior still rung in his ears. 'The Sheikah Slate is your guide, and also your memory.' Now that the Hylian had recovered the corrupted rune like he had been instructed to do by the elder, would he get his memories back?

He, of course, hated having none of his memories. There was an empty hole inside him which he could never forget about. People he knew, his true identity. None of that he knew about. And he really wondered about his identity. Who was he before the Slumber of Restoration, other than a hero? Was he anything else, or was that all he was, a hero who was only destined to spend his entire life fighting for the Goddesses and fail in his task.

The Goddesses were aware, weren't they? Aware that he would fail. Aware that even waking after the Slumber of Restoration he would be no stronger, no weaker, no different to before. That's why they sent Dusk along to help him. Because he was just a failure of a hero, with no memory and no idea of how to navigate through this huge land he'd awoken in.

Link exhaled deeply, defeated and no longer angry. He thought back to a question he had thought about previously. Who was he? Was he different to what he was like now, which would make sense considering he wasn't built of from past experiences. The truth was, he couldn't help worrying about what he had been like before the tragedy that occurred, the Calamity. He supposed if his memories returned, he would find out.

There was one other concern, too. His memories.

He was aware that he had already recalled one of his memories when Dusk howled Zelda's Lullaby a few days ago. Though he was sure that it was one of his lost memories, it didn't seem like he remembered it. More like… he was a spectator. Certain in his thinking, he believed that if someone had just informed him what had happened in that room it would be the same feeling. Like having knowledge of something that happened, but not ruly being there. That's what concerned him. Would all his other memories be like that? Would he be aware of them, but they would never fill that void inside him, that piece missing?

Link's surprisingly deep thoughts were interrupted by a yawn next to him. Sunlight now filtered into the room and Dusk was now up. Not realising he had spaced out for so long, the Hylian Champion shuffled to the edge of his bed and proceeded to put on his belt, boots and sword sheathe. Not forgetting to attach the Sheikah Slate to his belt, Link proceeded to get up and make sure the room was tidy before addressing Dusk and departing from the room.

Not long after, the pair arrived at Impa's house where the shy Paya was milling about near the entrance. Upon seeing them, she stuttered,

"Ah! G-good to se you two a-again! Please, c-come in…

She then proceeded to hold open the door for the two, which they both walked through swiftly. As expected, Impa was sitting in the same spot as before, directly in front of them when they walked in.

* * *

 **Again, I apologize for the long wait.**

 **See, I haven't given up on this, but I am extremely good at procrastinating. Seriously.**

 **Anyway recently I haven't had that much motivation to work on this, because the idea of it isn't all that interesting to me any more. I still plan to finish it at some point, all I'm saying is that to the people who've stuck around so far (thank you, by the way) don't expect an update in a while.**

 **I'm thinking of writing a story for another fandom (possibly SSB or FF7, if you're interested in those keep an eye out) just so I can write something fresh and with an idea I like the sound of and hopefully get the motivation for TLoT back after that.**

 **I'm not gonna call this a hiatus, I'm just not sure when I'll get round to posting another chapter again. Anyway, thank you.**


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